Brown Ale aged in used Pinot Noir barrels from local Sonoma County wineries. It is aged for about 12 months with sour cherries, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added to each barrel. Flavors from the cherries, Pinot Noir and oak balance each other nicely with a little funk from the brett.

Pours a tawny brown with a fizzy, loosely structured head that dissipates pretty quickly. Lots of sediment floaties.

Smell is sharp, funky and acidic, with barnyard and vinous notes.

Taste is sharp and assertively tart at first, sour on the back end. Mellows out after a few minutes and notes of grape, cherries, green apple and lime come through. It remains very tart, but in a more mellow, refreshing way. A truly unique beverage that makes you totally forget you're actually drinking a beer. Let alone a somewhat strong beer -- there is no alcohol flavor to be found.

Mouthfeel is prickly from the tartness, not so much from the carbonation, which is fairly minimal. Yet it manages to also be soft and velvety and coats the palate nicely.

This beer brings together traits from so many delicious beverages -- tart sparkling cider, champagne, red wine -- and marries them with a beer base to great effect. Not quite a luxurious as the Bruery's Oude Tart, but somehow more unique and refreshing.